Chaos erupted when the star showed up to the NYC event.
Timothée Chalamet was anything but a complete unknown when he rolled up at a Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest in New York City.
There was “pandemonium” among contestants and onlookers on Sunday when, 30 minutes after the contest began, the NYC native appeared in the crowd, estimated by NBC News to be in the thousands.
There were gasps and shrieks as Chalamet, who has been filming Marty Supreme in NYC, joined his brunette, wavy-haired doppelgängers in Washington Square Park. According to the Associated Press, Chalamet was accompanied by bodyguards.
The actor, sporting a mustache and shorter hair under his black hat than many of the contestants, flashed peace signs as he stood next to the hopefuls, who copied his Dune and Wonka looks in hopes of winning the $50 prize — and bragging rights.
The prize ultimately went to Staten Island resident Miles Mitchell, 21. He was wearing a Wonka costume, including a briefcase, and helped win over the judges by tossing candy to the crowd.
Mitchell was presented with a giant check made out to “Best Tim.”
USA Today reported that because organizers, including YouTuber Anthony Po and Instagram influencer Tamir Omari, didn’t get a permit, the NYPD broke up what it deemed an “unscheduled demonstration.” A police spokesperson told the outlet four people were arrested and released with a summons.
The Cut posted a video of a Chalamet look-alike getting handcuffed.
Organizers — who were issued a $500 fine, according to the Associated Press — promoted the event by posting fliers around NYC in the days leading up to the contest. By Sunday morning there were 2,500 RSVPs to an online invitation, according to Variety.
“‘Tis the way of culture,” Po said, holding up his fine. “And this is the price of culture.”
“It started off as a silly joke and now it’s turned pandemonium,” said Paige Nguyen, a producer who helped Po stage the event, according to the AP.
“We got kicked out of Washington Square Park,” Omari said in a video. “We could have never anticipated this many people showing up. … The expectations were that we could have an orderly look-alike contest.”
Chalamet is one of Hollywood’s most popular and bankable stars. He’ll next appear on the big screen as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, which is out Dec. 25. The heartthrob has been dating reality star turned makeup mogul Kylie Jenner since last year.
